


Deformari

by fulgeo_ortu



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Neglect, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, and his boyfriend freddy is like guess im ur dad until ur Not Five anymore, im soft, mostly henry introspective, no pedo shit i can assure you lmao, rated teen because they say Bad Words, so uhh henry gets hit with a Baby Spell, with some reflection of what his relationship with frederick means
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:28:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24419659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fulgeo_ortu/pseuds/fulgeo_ortu
Summary: Henry was carelessly reckless, but he refused to acknowledge the fact. Even when he saw a spy sneaking his way into the war tent, he only grinned and followed closely behind without alerting anyone. Like a cat watching a mouse, Henry silently observed the intruder rummaging through Robin’s papers until he felt satisfied and couldn’t resist the temptation to alert the spy and see the look of dread upon his face. Quickly and tactically, Henry drove his dagger into the spy’s neck, and with a teasing inflection, Henry questioned, “Do you need help finding anything? Maybe a shortcut to hell?”alternative summary: Henry gets turned into a five year old and Frederick volunteers for babysitting duty. please read the tags
Relationships: Frederick&Henry, Frederick/Henry (Fire Emblem)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 47





	1. Intellegere ut Tu Amari

**Author's Note:**

> Deformari: to be transformed into something less beautiful
> 
> Intellegere ut Tu Amari: to realize that you are loved
> 
> hello!! thanks for checking this out!! i already have this done, but i wanted to upload it in chunks so its easier to read. i will post one chapter every day, so the next update will be Friday. i hope you enjoy this since i have had fun writing it!!

Henry was always happy. It wasn’t normal, but it was  _ his _ normal to always be smiling, always laughing. 

Frederick always acted like he disapproved of his shifty character and dubious methods, but when the two were alone such as when the thin mage was the only one to attend training or be the first person awake and last one to bed, as he usually was, they were painfully domestic. They often sought out each other’s company, and even though neither ever said it out loud after their initial confession for fear of being overheard, they knew they were in love. It was in every passing glance, every rare embrace. Frederick had even developed a habit of kissing the crown of Henry’s head, and much like a crow, Henry had taken to presenting Frederick with gifts: shiny things, rings, rare teas, and practically anything that reminded him of the other. Henry knew Frederick was only so hard on him to keep him safe—even Henry had to admit he was a little reckless in combat. 

He was carelessly reckless in every other sense as well, but he refused to acknowledge the fact. Even when he saw a spy sneaking his way into the war tent, he only grinned and followed closely behind without alerting anyone. Like a cat watching a mouse, Henry silently observed the intruder rummaging through Robin’s papers until he felt satisfied and couldn’t resist the temptation to alert the spy and see the look of dread upon his face. Quickly and tactically, Henry drove his dagger into the spy’s neck, and with a teasing inflection, Henry questioned, “Do you need help finding anything? Maybe a shortcut to hell?” 

  
  
  


Just a few yards down from the war tent, Frederick, Robin, and Libra were alerted by a groan before a strange man burst from the tent, tending a gushing wound in his neck. As Frederick and Libra chased after the man, Robin ran to the tent to see the state of the documents. The chase garnered the attention of other wandering Shepherds, and to their surprise, the spy began firing off spells before Gaius threw a dagger into the man’s thigh, effectively ending the chase. However, before they could capture him, he grabbed the dagger from his neck and slit his throat, one which Frederick immediately recognized as Henry’s since it had a raven burned into the wooden handle. His heart missing a beat, Frederick’s thoughts raced through the possibilities of what may have occurred to the mage before his instincts took charge over his priorities, giving up on the dying spy to find Henry. 

In the war tent, he stumbled upon Robin attempting to coax a young boy, six years old at most, into taking his hand. The boy was drowning in oversized clothes, staring up at the men with resigned fear in his black eyes. The boy looked just like Henry, lacking only his signature smile, and when Frederick reexamined the clothes, he realized that the boy  _ was  _ Henry. In shock, Frederick breathed out,  _ “Henry..?” _ The boy’s black eyes flicked up to meet the knight’s, confirming his suspicion. Henry’s expression was completely void of any sign of recognition, so Robin mused, “I don’t think he remembers us… The spell must’ve reverted him completely back to his childhood self.” Frederick’s face softened dramatically as he looked down at the young boy. Henry had never spoken directly about his childhood, but from what Frederick had contrived, it was appalling. 

Kneeling on the ground to be as close to eye level as possible, Frederick held out his hand and softly asked, “Can you give me your hand, Henry?” The boy’s gaze only followed his hand, eyeing it as if it were a poisonous snake. Frederick seemed to realize then that Henry didn’t trust them—well, more accurately, he didn’t trust  _ anyone. _ Softly, Robin asked, “Should we explain what happened to him and who we are?” 

“I suppose that is the best place to start… Well, Henry, this is going to be a bit difficult to believe, but you have been turned back into a child by an enemy mage. It looks like you tried to stop him, and he attacked you and left you as you are now. This man here is Robin,” Frederick explained as he gestured to the Plegian beside him. Softly, the little boy mumbled, “Robin,” as if trying to memorize the name. Frederick then pointed to himself and continued, “And I am Frederick.” Again, Henry mumbled, “Fred…erick..?” Noticing the boy’s struggle, Robin explained, “You usually call him ‘Freddy.’ You grow up to be a good friend of ours, Henry. We’re soldiers together, like brothers.” 

The two men watched as Henry cast his gaze to the ground, mumbling, “I’ve never had friends before…” The soldiers shared a worried glance;  _ their  _ Henry never acted so…  _ depressed. _ He was supposed to be smiling and laughing and cracking jokes, but the boy was barely a shell with blank eyes which held nothing but resignation. 

“Well,” Frederick began, “you grow up to have plenty of friends. All the other soldiers are your friends too. They’re all probably worried about you. Now, how about we go find someone who can help you get back to normal? A war zone is not a safe place for a child.” Once more, Frederick offered his hand to the boy, watching with bated breath as the child weighed his choices and finally reached out, grasping Frederick’s first two fingers with his tiny hand. 

Frederick’s heart practically burst. He had always had a soft spot for children, but Henry was no ordinary child. It was apparent that trust did not come easily to him, yet he had decided to trust Frederick all the same. A gentle yet elated smile had taken over Frederick’s expression, and when Henry looked up at him from their connected hands, he attempted to replicate the smile, almost like a songbird imitating speech. Beside them, Robin laughed softly at the exchange as he mused, “Let’s take off that collar of yours; it must be heavy, right?” Henry only then seemed to notice it but nodded nevertheless, watching as Robin’s hands removed the collar and mumbling, “Thank you, Robin,” in his soft, childish voice. The tactician replicated Frederick’s smile as he replied, “You’re welcome, Henry.” 

Frederick then lifted Henry, holding the boy against his chest as he asked, “Should we take him to Libra?” 

“Libra might be…  _ busy _ with the intruder. Maybe Maribelle?” The two shared a glance, then looked at Henry before meeting eyes again and deciding, “Lissa it is.” 

They stood and left the tent in search of the princess. Henry was silent, save for informing Frederick that he was very tall, and was constantly looking around with his dull, black eyes. 

Such a young face immediately drew a crowd. Sumia was the first to notice him and practically ran to get a closer view, asking, “Who’s this little guy? He’s adorable!” After Frederick explained everything to her, she mused softly, “I didn’t think Henry would be such a quiet child… Maybe he’s just shy since he doesn’t remember us?” Another person joined them, then another, then two more, and suddenly, a mob had developed around them, demanding their share of the little boy. Even Lon’qu was stealing glances at him from a safe distance. Vaike came barreling in with his booming voice shouting a greeting at the child. The blond then demanded, “Let me hold him, good ol’ Freddy Bear!” Disgruntled, Frederick retorted, “What? No.” 

“Oh, come on! Let Henry decide. Don’t you want Uncle Vaike to carry you, Henry?” As Vaike was speaking, Henry was rather indifferent to everything around him, but then Vaike drew back his hand to give him a slap on the back. Frederick could feel Henry’s body tense, his little hands squeezing fistfuls of Frederick’s shirt. The mob witnessed his reaction as well. His surprise, his disappointment, his  _ fear _ ; it was all clear to everyone as Henry  _ flinched. _ Even when Henry stared into Warhol’s eyes and watched him fling an ax at the mage’s heart, Henry never bat an eye. He was supposed to be fearless, their rough and tumble mage who would look death in the eye and laugh. 

The crowd’s reaction was vitriolic as they flung curses at Vaike, telling him to leave the poor child alone. “You’re scaring him,” one exclaimed. “Fuck off, Vaike,” another groaned. The general consensus was that Vaike would be tied up and fed to the Risen. With a protective grip on Henry, Frederick ordered everyone to give him space. While Robin instructed everyone to go about their duties, Frederick noticed that Henry was still tense, his little hands only gripping the fabric of Frederick’s shirt tighter. “Henry,” he softly began, feeling Henry relaxing slightly at his gentle voice, “no one will ever hurt you again.” He began gently stroking the boy’s head as he continued, “I don’t exactly know what your life was like as a child, but I can promise to protect you. Your other friends here will do the same, even Vaike, so I hope you can grow to trust us more, little by little.” 

Henry didn’t reply but lowered his head to rest his chin on Frederick’s shoulder in a trusting gesture, his feather soft hair brushing against the knight’s neck. As Frederick carried the little boy to the medic tent, Henry realized that he had never been held so gently in his life. He never wanted Frederick to let him go, no matter how unrealistic he knew his wish was. 

Henry perked up when they entered the medic tent and heard a gasp, turning his head to see a blonde teen and a young man in all blue. The blonde was the one who had gasped and immediately stood from her seat to run up to Frederick, looking up at the little boy in awe as she questioned, “Who’s  _ this? _ ” The man in blue stood as well when Robin brushed past the tent flap and entered behind them. With a grin, the man asked, “Who indeed is this fine young man, Frederick? He looks like a certain mage of ours.” As the two gawked at the child, Robin turned to Henry and asked with a mischievous grin, “Would you like to introduce yourself?” Having been staring back at the prince and princess, Henry first looked at Robin in surprise before turning to Frederick for guidance. Gently patting Henry’s back, Frederick softly urged, “Go on, then.” Henry turned back to the newcomers and mumbled, “My name is Henry—”

_ “Wait, really?!  _ I was kidding—is he really  _ our  _ Henry?” 

“He was trying to stop an intruder and succeeded, but in the process, he was turned into a child,” Robin explained before seeming to realize something and turned to Henry to ask, “How old are you anyways, Henry?” The boy paused to think before guessing, “Five, maybe?” Lissa chose to jump in and suggested, “Well, let’s see if we can get you back to your twenties, though I would like you to stay like this for a bit longer; you’re so cute that you’ll raise morale!” Henry never thought that he would live to be twenty. To the boy’s disappointment, Frederick set him down on the examination table where the two strangers before him introduced themselves as the prince and princess of Ylisse. They appeared to be good friends of Frederick, so he figured that he could trust the siblings. After a few minutes of Lissa examining him, Henry heard her hum, “Looks like I’ll get my wish. I can’t change him back, but he’ll do it on his own after about a week. You should go into town and buy him some clothes, Freddy; we don’t have any clothes small enough for him anywhere, and I doubt you have the time to sew him a few outfits.” Henry turned to Frederick with that blank gaze of his before the brunette noticed something barely perceptible change in the boy’s black eyes as he agreed with the princess. 

He was sad, his eyelids drooping only slightly, a ghost of a frown on his face. Despite how subtle the change was, everyone noticed, and their hearts shattered. The medic tent was filled with coos as the soldiers fawned over the boy, pleading with him to not be sad. Frederick gently held Henry’s face in his hand and explained in a soft voice, “This is the safest place for you, Henry. You have all these people here to protect you. You wouldn’t be safe if I took you into town with me.” Henry nuzzled his face into Frederick’s palm, lifting his gaze to meet the knight’s eyes with a pleading look. His heart melting, Frederick offered the boy his smallest finger and proposed, “How about I make you a promise? I promise that I’ll be back within an hour, okay?” After a moment of consideration, Henry reached up and hooked his pinky finger around Frederick’s, mumbling, “Okay, Freddy.” 

With Frederick gone, Henry became cautious and withdrawn. When the other’s spoke to him, Henry hardly lifted his head and had a lifeless look to him, like he was a docile Risen merely wandering the earth. Eventually, Lissa became concerned and gently asked, “Are you alright, Henry? You’re not usually like…  _ this. _ ” Confused, Henry gazed at her with his dull eyes and replied, “I’m always like this.” Lissa frowned slightly and explained, “You’re so different when you grow up; you’re always smiling and laughing and telling jokes. I’ve never seen you act sad before is all. You’re so tiny, too…” Chrom nodded in agreement and was about to speak when he gently pat Henry on the back and heard him gasp. Surprised, Chrom withdrew his hand and apologized, “I’m sorry, Henry; I didn’t mean to startle you—”

“I’m fine,” the boy interrupted, “I just have a bruise there.” Lissa, jumping at the chance to be helpful, grabbed her staff and exclaimed, “That’s something I can fix! Show me where it is Chrom!” Chrom pointed to a spot between Henry’s shoulder blade and his spine, just a few inches below his neckline where Lissa could touch the tender skin by slipping her hand below the collar of Henry’s shirt. The smile vanished from her face as she checked a second time before asking, “Henry? How did your ribs break? It must hurt just to breathe…” Henry dropped his gaze to the floor, unresponsive and silent. Robin approached him then, gently asking, “Can you feel pain, Henry? Did you even know they were broken?” 

“I can, and I did. Can I not feel pain when I get older?” 

“Not a bit,” Robin replied. “That’s good,” the little boy noted, “It must make living a lot easier.” Chrom took his chance to explain, “Actually, it makes it harder to live since you won’t know when to get help. We’re here to help you, Henry, but to help you, we need to understand you. How did you get hurt so badly..?” Henry’s fists tightened around wads of his shirt, inadvertently pulling up the hem of the sweater far enough to expose pale legs littered with bruises. Some were yellow and fading, others were black and fresh. With a few more gentle pushes, Henry admitted, “I deserved it,” in a quiet voice. 

“You couldn’t have deserved to have been beaten so badly, no matter what you did, Henry,” Chrom explained as his heart broke. “I did,” Henry countered. Robin questioned, “Who did this to you, Henry?” Finally, Henry confessed, “My dad.” In a pained and quiet voice, Lissa asked,  _ “Why?” _ After a few moments of deliberation, the little boy admitted, “He’s hated me ever since I was a baby.” His quiet reply settled into the silence that followed it as it disturbed the soldiers to their core. With a hopeful inflection, Robin asked, “Does your mother try to protect you?” 

“She pretends I don’t exist,” Henry replied, giving the Shepherds a perfect idea of the twisted household Henry had to survive in. “Well,” Chrom gently began, “you have all of our attention. We will treat you like any loving family should and make your time with us the happiest time you’ve ever had. You deserve it, after all. Now, let’s get you fixed up so that you won’t hurt anymore, alright?” 

As Lissa began healing all the injuries that Henry had, Robin broached, “Does Frederick like children? He seems like he would be a wonderful father.” Chrom and Lissa paused in surprise before repeating at the same time, “Does Frederick like children?” As Chrom began laughing, Lissa went on to explain, “Freddy absolutely  _ adores _ children! On top of that, he’s more protective than a mother bear! Henry couldn’t possibly be in better hands.” Chrom, still laughing, warned, “I hope you like attention, Henry, because Frederick will absolutely  _ smother  _ you with affection. He has a tendency to pamper children, but I am sure he will spoil you more than he does Lissa.” For a moment, Henry questioned in his mind why  _ he _ of all people would be more worthy than the princess of Ylisse. Lissa apparently had a similar sentiment since she pouted and demanded to know why that was. Chrom chuckled as he mused, “I thought you had picked up on it, Lissa.” 

“Picked up on  _ what _ ?” 

“Henry is Frederick’s favorite,” Robin explained with a knowing grin, “they’re practically joined at the hip nowadays.” Chrom met Robin’s eyes as he addled, “Of course  _ you _ know too; Henry tells you everything. Getting Frederick to tell me something like that is like pulling teeth.” Still confused, Lissa retorted, “I thought Freddy doesn’t have favorites.” 

“Out of you, me, and Emm he doesn’t, but Henry is definitely his favorite. They spar in the morning, go into town, set up camp, go on watch, go into battle, march—” 

“But Frederick always lectures him after battle,” Lissa countered. “Yeah,” Chrom continued, “because every time Henry does something reckless—which is practically all the time—Frederick has an aneurysm since he’s so worried that Henry will get hurt.” After a few minutes had passed in silence, Lissa’s eyes widened in understanding, but Henry was still oblivious to what any of them meant. All he felt was the alien sensation of feeling loved. 

True to his word, Frederick returned within the hour with a large bag containing an ample amount of clothes including shirts, tunics, pants, shorts, socks, a light coat, a nightshirt, and boots. They sent Henry to change into his new clothes in a small changing room and excitedly awaited his return. When Henry pulled back the curtain, the soldiers shared a soft gasp as they took in his small appearance swathed in a tulip yellow shirt which was oversized and gathered at his back with a bow, light brown trousers, and dark brown boots. Lissa was the first to call him over, saying that he looked like a little daisy. Lissa then picked him up and held him like a girl hugging a teddy bear as she exclaimed, “We’re twins!” Softly, Robin noted, “His boots are so  _ small… _ ” As Lissa turned back to Henry and brushed his bangs out of his face, she was met with his blank, dark eyes. Her heart softened as she wondered what he would look like if his eyes had brightened, as if he wasn’t resigned to whatever torture he expected those around him to subject him to, as if he knew what it felt like to be loved. 

“You’re the cutest kid I’ve ever seen,” Lissa softly noted, “I don’t know how anyone could ever bring themselves to hurt you…” When Frederick gave Chrom a confused glance, the prince explained, “Henry had a few scrapes and broken ribs, so Lissa fixed him up.” Frederick seemed to understand where the injuries had come from and smiled as Henry mumbled, “Thank you for helping me, Miss Lissa.” The princess squeezed Henry in a hug and pressed a kiss to Henry’s crown as she replied, “Anything for a little daisy like you! Say, Henry, are you hungry? It’s about time for lunch.” After the boy nodded, Lissa set him back down and watched as he tottled over to Frederick and gently tugged on his pant leg. Understanding what the boy meant, Frederick picked him up as the others watched, slightly envious of the knight as they decided to eat lunch together. 

As they walked to the mess tent, the little boy Frederick carried drew more and more attention. Hardened soldiers trailed behind Frederick for a chance to meet Henry’s gaze and make the dreary boy smile. Henry gazed down at the food with thinly veiled need, almost drooling when he saw the fire roasted pork. After getting their food, the group sat down to eat and found that Henry was too small to reach the table on his own, so he sat in Frederick’s lap to eat as the other Shepherds watched him, cooing about how adorable the boy was. With every bite he took, the soldiers gasped and smiled as they elbowed each other to draw their attention to a certain aspect such as his small stature, new clothes, small mouth and bites, soft hair, open eyes, or lack of a smile. For such a young child, he was surprisingly independent and even cut his own food. As everyone’s attention was on Henry, Chrom teased, “We warned Henry how much you would spoil him. We also told him that he’s your favorite and everything—” 

_ “My liege—” _

“Oh relax, Freddy, there’s nothing wrong with telling him that you care about him. Besides, I don’t think he’s ever been spoiled in his life, so telling him why he’s being pampered so much will let him feel more comfortable with it.” Robin jumped in to suggest, “You should feel open to explaining it to him too. I know when you first began to watch out for him and whatnot, he was a bit startled and confused. I know subtlety is your way of doing things, but with Henry and his past, you really have to spell things like these out for him. If you don’t tell him, he just won’t get it.” When Frederick was about to reply, their spectators awed as Henry yawned, his eyelids beginning to droop after his heavy meal. “Oh dear,” Frederick softly began, “are you getting tired?” Henry nodded groggily, earning a few more awes from his spectators. With an amused laugh, Robin offered, “I can take care of the dishes while you put him down for a nap.” After saying thank you, Frederick stood with Henry in his arms as everyone waved goodbye to the boy, wishing him a good nap. Over the knight’s shoulder, Henry waved back with bleary eyes and mumbled, “Bye bye,” as they left. 

As Frederick carried him to his tent, he felt Henry’s arms wrap around his neck and the boy’s chin settle on his shoulder. The little show of trust was enough to warm the knight’s heart. After entering the tent, Frederick gently set the boy down on his cot and pulled a blanket up to his chin before brushing the white hair out of his face and pressing a light kiss to the crown of his head. As Frederick pulled away to work at his desk, Henry’s eyes opened slightly while his small voice sounded, sleep-sodden and quiet. “Thank you for taking care of me, Freddy… No one’s ever… cared about me before…” When Frederick turned back to tell the boy that it was nothing he should thank him for, Henry was already fast asleep. While Henry slept, Frederick listened for any sounds of distress since even when he was older, Henry was commonly plagued by nightmares, and when one ultimately came, Frederick gently stroked his snowy hair and softly reminded him that he was safe. As night approached, Frederick fell asleep at his desk only to be awoken by tiny hands tugging at his pant leg. “Freddy,” the little voice urged, “come sleep.” Frederick groggily reached down to pat his head as he replied, “I’m fine here, Henry, so go on back to bed.” Henry paused for a moment and gripped the knight’s pant leg a little tighter before asking in a small voice, “Please..?” Unable to say no, Frederick found himself smiling as he gave in and picked Henry up to go to his cot. Frederick swore he saw Henry smile for the first time as he nuzzled into his chest to close his eyes. 

Henry woke before any of the Shepherds, so with nothing to do, he cherished his time in his guardian’s arms before he heard the birds calling for him outside. He snuck out of the tent, going by the mess tent to grab a small loaf of bread before finding the murder of crows waiting for him. They were surprised to see Henry in such a small form which they had not seen in years but accepted him nonetheless. They chattered in a greeting as some landed on his arms for scratches and pets, cooing and gurgling in thanks. Henry carefully broke up pieces of the bread and fed it to each one. Before being fed, the oldest bird gifted the boy with a gold ring which was too big for the boy’s small finger, but he imagined that as an adult, it would have fit perfectly. He rewarded the old crow with a piece of bread and a generous petting session which the others soon demanded as well. 

As Henry was petting a particularly vocal bird, he heard footsteps approaching behind him and turned to find the knight walking towards him. The boy clutched the crow in his arms nervously, afraid that he may have earned a punishment. Sensing his worry, the crows cooed for Henry to calm down and explained that the knight wouldn’t hurt him, but Henry remained tense even as Frederick knelt down beside him. Silently staring up at Frederick, Henry searched the man’s face for any sign of anger but could find nothing but kindness which did nothing but terrify Henry to his core. “I thought you may have been here when I couldn’t find you in my tent,” Frederick began before offering Henry something in his hand, “so I brought something for your friends.” Henry tore his gaze from Frederick’s face to find that he was offering more bread. Henry felt his heart freeze, warm, and tear at the same time like shocked glass as he recalled what the other Shepherds had said about the knight before him. One last act of kindness obliterated the wall which Henry had built around himself. As the crows rejoiced upon Frederick’s arrival, Henry buried himself in Frederick’s chest and remembered how gently the knight had laid him down to rest, how warm he was as he protected the boy from nightmares and tears. 

After pulling back to feed the birds, Henry realized that the crows loved Frederick as well, lending more truth to the knight’s unconditional love for Henry. If  _ they _ trusted him, he had to be a good man who never hurt the albino. In a soft voice so as not to startle the birds or wake another soldier, Frederick informed, “I feed the crows like this with you almost every day when you get older. I think they’ve grown to like me.” Henry watched as a bird approached the knight and chattered for his attention, closing its eyes as Frederick gave it a few gentle pets. The boy leaned into Frederick with a shy smile as he almost whispered, “They like you a lot.” 

After feeding the crows, Frederick led Henry back to his tent for him to wash up. As Henry dried his face with a towel, Frederick sat him in front of his mirror to brush through his snowy hair. The entire time, Henry watched Frederick’s face in the mirror before voicing, “You’re really handsome.” Frederick’s hands stalled for a moment as a blush began to spread across his face; Henry figured that he wasn’t used to compliments, but he was unprepared for when Frederick turned it around on him as he smiled and replied, “Thank you; you grow up to be quite a dashing young man yourself.” Henry wasn’t quite used to compliments either, no matter how many he received from the other soldiers. Suffering under the alien praise, Henry spotted a ring on Frederick’s finger as he continued brushing through his hair and spouted, “I like your ring. It’s pretty.” With a soft chuckle, Frederick mused, “I should hope you like it; you gave it to me.” Surprised, Henry asked, “I did?” Henry watched as Frederick smiled fondly at the memory, humming in confirmation with a subtle nod. 

Henry paused, a nagging feeling in the back of his mind telling him he was missing something. People don’t normally give each other rings, but… couples do on their wedding day. Henry’s heart was hammering away in his chest as he slammed into the realization that he could grow to love someone, to be  _ vulnerable _ with someone. It made sense to Henry then why his undeserving and disgusting self could ever be Frederick’s “favorite.” Still, his stomach rolled and twisted in disbelief, urging him to get confirmation. In an almost trembling voice, Henry asked, “Do I marry you when I get older?” Frederick went on to explain, “You haven’t yet. I hope to someday, though. I grow to love you quite substantially after we meet.” Still a bit confused, Henry added, “I’m pretty sure I meant giving you that ring as a proposal. Isn’t that what people do when they want to get married? Give each other rings?” Frederick’s smile widened slightly at Henry’s innocent question and explained, “Yes, but I doubt you meant it like that. Besides, I’d be the one to propose to you if we could get married.” Wanting to know more about his future life, Henry asked, “Who confesses first?” 

“You kissed me then I said that I loved you, so I think it’s a tie. However, I’m the type to propose; you aren’t.” Henry was terrified of how much Frederick knew about him, yet he was more surprised that his future self could ever grow to open up to another person. Henry then asked, “How do you know?” 

“You’re afraid. The kiss was a sudden act that even you thought was rather brash; you just wanted to see how I would react: would I strike you, do nothing, or return the gesture. Despite knowing that I love you more than anyone or anything, you still fear that if you were to propose to me that I would be too kind to say no, even if I did not truly want to marry you, or that I would refuse you outright. You want me to wait until I know for absolutely certain that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Henry felt that now familiar sensation of something stirring in his heart as he realized how greatly he would come to love Frederick to spill his guts to him. In a quiet voice, Henry slowly asked, “And are you?” Frederick showed a genuine smile as he thought back to his plans, confessing, “I am. I am just waiting for the right time.” 

Henry fell silent, in awe that anyone would ever choose to marry him, a revolting, unloved person who finds it impossible to trust others. After a brief moment of silence, Frederick confessed, “I’m glad you’re talking to me more. I think that was the most you’ve ever talked since you were cursed.” Henry averted his gaze to his new boots, smiling slightly with bats flapping in his stomach. 

Somebody loved him. 

That morning, the army began packing up camp to march onward. Henry watched on in awe at how quickly the soldiers disassembled camp, keeping a keen eye on how Frederick deconstructed his tent and moved everything inside of it to the caravan without any help. Henry guessed that Frederick could beat anyone to death with his bare hands if he wanted to. Good thing Frederick loved him. A young woman with blonde, curly hair asked for Frederick’s help with lifting something heavy, and the knight was immediately torn because it meant he wouldn’t be able to look after Henry quite as closely. Robin quickly volunteered to babysit, so Henry found himself holding Robin’s hand as they walked away from the others. 

“Let’s go take down your tent,” Robin suggested before spotting and waving to a Plegian woman watching him from the shadows. “Tharja,” he began, “would you help us take down Henry’s tent?” With a nod and a warning that she didn’t know how to handle babies, the woman joined them. Robin introduced, “This is Tharja, one of your friends. She’s from Plegia too.” Henry immediately stepped closer to Robin. The woman reminded him of his mother. Noticing Henry’s apprehension, Robin laughed and urged, “Don’t be shy, Henry! You guys play games together all the time, right Tharja?” Henry could feel her cold stare on him as she sighed, “If you want to call it a game, sure. It’s more like I try to kill him with everything I’ve got then he puts a curse on me for a while just to make him laugh. It makes me wonder if you’re as strong now while your suffering is still fresh in your mind…” 

“Play nice, would you?” 

“As if I would ever kill a defenseless  _ baby, _ ” Tharja spat, “He feels different now anyways. I doubt he could cast a single spell. It’s weird. He doesn’t even feel like the same  _ organism. _ Our Henry is a monster, and this little  _ pipsqueak _ can’t even laugh. Are we sure this is our Henry? I mean, he hasn’t even killed anything yet—”

_ “Tharja.” _ The woman paused, searching Robin’s face until she realized, “You haven’t told him yet, have you?” Henry looked up at Robin in confusion, wanting to know what the others were keeping from him. Robin looked back down at Henry with pity hidden behind a smile as he gently pat his head and reassured, “It’s nothing you should worry about, Henry.” 

  
Upon entering the tent, Robin sighed, “I always forget how many books you have…” Slowly, they began carrying the books to the caravan with Robin and Tharja holding an armful at a time and Henry carrying two books hugged against his chest. Henry was rewarded with more pats on the head for helping them which then slowly accustomed him to being touched without warning. With the first few pats, Henry flinched, but after the sixth, he started to smile. Just before Robin and Tharja began taking down the tent, they heard a voice yelling out for Robin’s assistance, so Robin shouted back, “I’m a bit busy!” With a bit more insistence, the voice shouted back, “It’s kind of an  _ emergency _ ! We’ve got a few visitors!” Robin’s face became slightly panicked as he mumbled a curse under his breath. He turned to Tharja and commanded, “Get in the tent and guard Henry, alright? Nothing should be able to find you, but on the off chance something does, you know what to do. Try not to scare Henry, okay?” Tharja begrudgingly agreed and grabbed hold of the boy’s wrist, tugging him into the tent as Robin took off in the direction of the voice. Tharja sat with him in the back corner of the tent, gruffly ordering him to sit down as well.


	2. Puer Posteritatis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Puer Posteritatis: the future of the boy
> 
> thanks again for reading my garbage fire. i just think like, if i made something and if its not super personal, i should post it you know? get used to showing people stuff? fun fact: plegia is kind of greek. like as in the word paraplegia.

After a couple minutes of muffled yells coming from outside the tent, Henry stared down at his hands and shyly asked, “Why do people say I’m so different..? Am I not like this when I’m older..?” Tharja tried not to act annoyed as she tsked and went on to explain, “You’re the polar opposite of what you are now. When you’re older, you make horrible jokes all the blasted time, and you’re always smiling and laughing too; you never take anything seriously, ever. It gets kind of annoying. Like with that ‘game’ Robin mentioned, when I try to kill you and give it everything I’ve got, you just laugh it off and brush off my curses like they’re ants. You started off with casting weak curses on me then slowly increased the power until you almost killed me one day, and then you had the  _ gall _ to feel  _ sorry _ about it when I was really trying to kill you! You just like messing with people to get back at your parents, as if they’ll ever care. I honestly don’t think you’ve ever really loved a person all of your life because of them. You do like animals though, which can get annoying since you always cure my test subjects without even asking me. You also love life so much that you become obsessed with death, and you want to see all there is to see about dying so you kill practically everything on the battlefield; you never leave anything for the rest of us. You’re so complacent and easily spooked now, but the Henry I know wouldn’t bat an eye if someone stabbed him in the heart, you see.”

When Tharja looked back down at Henry, she saw a completely blank face staring up at her, causing her to scoff as she noted, “At least that part of you is the same; you’re the best there is about hiding how you feel. I doubt you are even capable of feeling anything, even now. When you’re older, you’re nothing but a heartless murderer that people fear just from your horrific reputation.” Tharja heard the boy mumble something about Frederick under his breath, so Tharja informed, “When you first showed up with all of your winged rats, even Frederick was afraid of you. Don’t you remember? You’re a monster. You kill people in cold blood. You’re horrible. When the other Shepherds see you at night, they run back to their tents hoping that you won’t choose them to be your chew toy. Chrom and Robin only keep you here because they’re afraid of you, afraid of what you’ll do to them if you go back to Plegia. Frederick only pretends to care about you to keep you on his leash. He  _ still _ fears you.” Henry dropped his gaze back down to his hands which Tharja took as a sign of disinterest as she questioned, “What? Afraid of what you’ll become? No, I’m just boring you, aren’t I? You can’t feel anything anyways.” She waited for a moment for Henry to say something in reply before she heard a heartbreaking sniffle. Her eyes widened as she saw a tear fall to the ground from Henry’s cheek. “Stop that,” she urged in disbelief, “stop crying, Henry.” The boy wiped his tears away, but only more fell as Tharja began to panic. After more failed attempts to get Henry to stop his silent crying from the betrayal he felt, she backpedalled, offering, “I-I was lying, Henry; I was only trying to see if you’d cry is all. Now you’re crying, so you can stop, alright? Sure, you’re kind of scary, but people still care about you, you know..! So stop crying!”

Henry wasn’t stopping.

“So what? You’re the strongest soldier we have, but you’re more like a dog that doesn’t know it’s own strength yet. You like dogs, don’t you? Gods, I sound like a fool… A-Anyways, do you want to know anything else? I, uh, I won’t be mean anymore, I swear.” Between a few hiccups, Henry asked, “What does Robin not want me to know..?” 

Tharja awkwardly brushed her fingers through her bangs as she mumbled, “Robin will be pissed… but if he sees Henry crying, it’ll be worse…” Tharja seemed to realize something as she asked, “If I tell you, will you promise to stop crying?” After seeing Henry nod, Tharja started to explain, “It’s your future he doesn’t want you to know about. Are you sure you want to know, Henry..? It might… make you cry more, actually…” 

“I want to know,” Henry decided in a surprisingly sure tone, so despite all of her instincts protesting, Tharja began to explain everything to Henry. “Well… I’m sure you know this already judging by how many bruises you have, but your parents were horrible. They were so bad that eventually, you got tired of being beat everyday and ran away into the forest where you found a wolf who took care of you like a cub. You lived with her for a year or two before she went into your old village to find food for you. When she didn’t come back, you went to search for her and—gods, I really shouldn’t be telling you this… You found her being killed by some men. That was when you first used dark magic. You killed everyone in the village except for your own parents who just so happened to be gone that day.”

Very little had changed in Henry’s expression besides the beginning of a frown developing on his face, so Tharja continued, “They found you collapsed among the bodies and sent you to a school that terrifies even me to think of what being a student there was like. You were tortured to bring out your hatred and power over black magic. To this day, you have a fear of water and won’t step anywhere near a river because you become overtaken by horrible memories and break down into a trembling mess. I have also heard that you have too many scars to count on your back. You saw so many horrible things that you became desensitized to blood and suffering. You can’t even feel pain anymore, and you have told me that you look forward to death because it means the suffering is finally over. Something happened in there that made you snap beyond repair; you killed everyone in the school, even the other children, and escaped after years of torture. You were never the same after snapping, Henry. I don’t know for sure why you always smile, but I assume it’s to trick even yourself into believing that you are happy.

“I know that deep down, you have always been a very unhappy person, Henry. Your life is not worth living, and it never will be.” 

After a slight pause, Henry asked, “So my life never gets better..?” His voice sounded broken all too soon. Tharja regretted telling him. “No,” Tharja protested, “no, it gets better, but your torture doesn’t only leave physical scars, Henry. You fight every single day to give up your ghosts and learn to trust people, but anyone can see that even now, you still suffer. You only ever let Frederick touch you;  _ every  _ touch reminds you of being  _ tortured, _ Henry. Even though you are around people who truly care about you, you are still in pain.” 

Henry’s gaze lifted when he heard that line, that people  _ cared  _ about him. Seeing the hope in his eyes, Tharja grumbled, “Of course people care about you, you idiot. You still set us on edge sometimes, but even I would miss you if you died. By the way, I know I would miss you because you scared me and Frederick shitless when you tried to kill yourself. We caught you stabbing away at every artery you could find. You kissed Frederick and almost gave Libra a heart attack when he saw how much blood you had lost. I thought you were really gone, Henry; we all did. You made Frederick realize that he was gay, which was good for him I guess. Has he told you yet? That you two are courting or engaged or whatever? Anyways, we fucking care about you, okay? Are you happy now?” Tharja sighed in relief when Henry wiped away the rest of his tears with the beginnings of a smile on his face. Tharja was the one to look away then as she mumbled, “I’m… sorry for being mean to you, Henry.” 

When the two heard footsteps just outside the tent entrance, Tharja seized Henry in her arms and opened her tome, ready to attack. The tent flap opened, revealing a friendly face which was just as surprised as the two were. “Oh, hello, little one,” Gregor greeted in his thick accent before asking, “Mind if I join? I’m in a bit of a… what is it..? Oh, a pickle! I am in a pickle and need to hide.” 

“Oh gods,” Tharja groaned, “are you  _ wounded _ ? I can’t help you, and I don’t want Henry to see all your guts spilling out.”

“Just a few gut,” Gregor assured as he stepped in, wincing as he laid down on the ground with his arm over his stomach. Henry crawled out of Tharja’s grasp and approached the man, offering softly, “I can help.” A bit breathlessly, Gregor protested, “Oh, no, little one. You do not do the healing, even as an adult.” Confused, Henry countered, “Yes I can,” before brushing Gregor’s arm away to expose a deep gash in his stomach. “I heal my birds all the time,” Henry shyly explained as he set his hands down on the gash and began stitching the flesh back together. The mercenary and dark mage looked on in wonder as Henry worked, in awe that Henry could heal without a staff. Incredulously, Gregor asked, “Why can you not do this thing when you are grown?” Since Henry was focusing on his work, Tharja supplied, “He must lose his ability after using dark magic… We can’t even get him to heal a papercut with a staff when he’s older…” 

As Gregor looked back up at the boy, he realized the red tint to the corners of his eyes and questioned, “Have you cried, little one?” Still not answering, Gregor looked to Tharja and demanded, “Did you make little one cry?” 

“I didn’t  _ make _ him—”

“The bear knight will kill you, witch.” 

“I know. I’m not looking forward to it.” 

“I am. Anyone who makes little one cry deserves death.” Gregor heard Henry mention that he was done, so he sat up without pain and tugged Henry into his lap, assuring, “I will keep you safe from mean witch lady, little one. You are safe with Gregor. You like stories? My daughter loved stories when she was small like you. I will tell little one her favorite as thanks, yeah? It is about village girl saving prince.” 

Through the story, Gregor kept Henry’s mind off of the carnage happening outside of the tent and his fate as an unhappy shell of a human. Soon, the three heard the sound of two people running towards the tent and a familiar voice noting that there was a blood trail near the tent. “The bear knight comes, witch,” Gregor warned, causing Tharja to sigh in resignation when she sensed Robin approaching as well. Frederick snapped the tent flap aside and spotted Henry immediately, alive and well. The knight knelt down with his arms open for Henry and hugged him tightly against his chest after the boy excitedly stood from Gregor’s lap and ran to him, nuzzling his head to the knight’s chest. Breathlessly, Frederick asked the boy, “Are you alright?” Despite Henry saying that he was fine, Frederick pulled the boy away to look him over, asking again, “You’re not hurt?” before spinning him around to see everything as he asked, “Not at all?” Henry shook his head with a smile so great that it reached his eyes. Frederick pulled Henry into another hug as he allowed himself to feel relieved for a moment before he remembered, “Who’s blood was outside?” Gregor raised his hand then, supplying, “It was mine. I took a mighty slice to the stomach—”

“Do we need to find you a medic?”

“No, no,” Gregor insisted, “little one fixed it.” Robin was the one to ask,  _ “What?” _ before Tharja went on to explain, “Henry can use white magic without a staff or tome. He said he does it all the time for his birds. He must have lost his ability after using black magic.” With an impressed smile, Robin cheered, “That’s incredible, Henry!” Gregor took the chance to speak up and suggested, “Maybe little one should help your arm, bear knight.” The group only then seemed to notice the two broken off arrows embedded into Frederick’s left bicep and deltoid. Henry only then noticed the blood. There was blood leaking down Frederick’s arm and splattered across his face and chest. Henry was torn between being concerned and telling Frederick how cool he looked. When he looked to Robin, he saw scarlet blood in his white hair and a heavy cut to his wrist. They had killed people, and people had tried to kill them. It was  _ frightening _ . 

When Frederick and Robin saw the crestfallen expression on Henry’s face, they immediately began coddling him despite their wounds, promising him that they were fine. Even Gregor joined in on comforting Henry, saying that even with his horrible wound, he was fine after being healed. With Gregor’s suggestion, Robin left to find Libra, leaving the others behind. Still trying to keep Henry occupied, Gregor asked Henry if he liked the story he told him and received a happy nod in return. As Gregor and Henry explained the story to Frederick, the knight got a good look at Henry’s face. He noticed the red rim around his eyes and faint marks like tear stains. Added with the occasional sniffle, Frederick knew he had been crying. Once Henry finished explaining the ending with a grandiose “The end,” Frederick reached out for his little hands, holding them gently in his own as he asked, “Are you alright, Henry?” Confused, Henry cocked his head with a smile, answering, “Yeah?” Gregor sent a knowing glance and a smirk towards Tharja, warning her yet again of her impending doom. The gig was up; Frederick knew. 

“Did you cry while I was gone?” 

Henry had always been a bad liar, evidently. He couldn’t lie as an adult, and as a child, he was even worse. He glanced to the side as he replied with a drawn out “No,” squeezing Frederick’s hands slightly in a nervous tick. The mother bear let go of one of Henry’s hands in favor of holding his cheek and gently brushing his thumb under the boy’s eye as he asked in a concerned tone, “Were you scared..?” 

“Nuh-uh,” Henry insisted as he happily leaned into Frederick’s hand. 

“What were you doing after Robin left?” 

“Tharja and I hid in here, we talked for a while, Gregor came in, he told me a story, and then you showed up!” Frederick doubted that Gregor made Henry cry; he was a father who loved children. Tharja on the other hand… 

“What did you and Tharja talk about?” 

He knew from the very second that Henry pulled back and lost his smile that Tharja had been the one to push him over the edge. “Um,” he began in a quieter voice, “magic.” Frederick picked Henry up and held him protectively against his chest before asking Tharja in a barely restrained voice, “What did you say to him?” In return, Tharja grumbled, “You heard him. We talked about  _ magic. _ ” Quickly getting enraged, Frederick turned to Gregor in hopes that he would give it up and stiffly demanded, “ _ Gregor? _ ” The man only turned up his hands and protested, “Little one had stopped crying by the time I got here. I asked him about it too, but little one said nothing.” With Frederick’s heart rate rising, more blood leaked from his wounds as the anger in his voice caused Henry to squirm. Frederick turned back to Tharja and demanded, “Tell me what you said or I will drag Robin into this—”

“ _ Fine _ ,” Tharja groaned, “I told him what he’s like as a grown up. What are you going to do, slap me on the wrist for telling a kid what a  _ monster  _ he turns into?” Completely flabbergasted, Frederick countered, “He isn’t a  _ monster _ ! He does the same thing any of  _ us  _ do; we are  _ soldiers. _ It is our job to kill in order to protect civilians!” Not willing to step down without a fight, Tharja insisted, “What Henry does is not ‘killing.’  _ You  _ have seen him on the battlefield more than anyone else, so you should  _ know  _ what he does. He makes people  _ explode,  _ Frederick! And then he laughs about it! He only follows what you and Robin say so that he can kill more people, and when he gets bored of being a Shepherd, he could kill every single one of us and go back to Plegia. He is  _ dangerous. _ ” 

“I know just as well as you that Henry could very well be the strongest mage on the planet, but that doesn’t make him a monster,” Frederick claimed, more blood dripping down his arm as he spoke. “He is a hardworking and kindhearted person despite everything you have said. Yes, he is stronger than any one of us. Yes, he  _ laughs _ after killing people. Yes, he likes to use showy spells and curses, but making light of the situation is how he has learned to  _ cope! _ This is hard work that most people cannot withstand, so why should we blame him for the way he was raised? He is a good soldier and friend who would never harm those he holds dear—”

“He almost  _ killed _ me,” she reminded coyly. “You should’ve seen him when he did it; it was like flicking an ant off his arm, and the next thing I knew, I was in the infirmary for two weeks! He could be ‘playing around’ with you or Robin or Chrom and accidentally  _ kill _ any of you! Even if he knows what he did was wrong now, he could snap like he did as a child and murder all of us. Don’t you remember when we had to go through that river a month back? He almost  _ turned _ on you, and you think he  _ loves  _ you? If it was any one of us besides you or Robin, he probably would’ve killed us.” Frederick was so infuriated that his heartbeat was pounding in his ears and drowning out the beginnings of Henry’s attempts to get them to stop. “He has never had anyone care for him before joining us! He needed help, so we gave it to him! He’s doing better; he knows what he should and shouldn’t do, what normal friends are like, how to trust people, how to know what he’s  _ feeling _ —you don’t give his growth enough credit! He risks his life to protect other soldiers and strangers, he has made friends, and he knows when to get help—”

_ “Then why did he try to kill himself?!”  _

Gregor attempted to placate them to no avail as Frederick shouted at the mage,  _ “Shut the hell up or Naga help me, I will do it for you!”  _ With a smug grin, she gloated, “I don’t  _ have  _ to. I already told him everything from when his fucking wolf died to when he stabbed every artery he had just to make all his suffering end.” If Gregor thought Frederick was as mad as he could possibly get, he was wrong. Like a bomb when its wick had been burned up, he exploded in a roar of thunder.  _ “Why can’t you let him be  _ happy  _ for one goddamned week of his life?!”  _

_ “His father has beaten him within an inch of his worthless life everyday; he can never be fucking happy! He will carry his scars for the rest of his life!”  _

Gregor finally stepped between the two, shouting at the top of his lungs for them to stop. “You should both be  _ ashamed _ ,” he exclaimed, “for screaming in front of little one! Look at what you both have done!” A brief silence filled the tent as both of the combatants started to move in order to clash yet again, but the silence was shattered along with their rage by the sound of Henry taking in a sharp gasp of air. Frederick finally noticed that Henry was trembling in his arms. Frederick felt his heart being ripped apart as he saw tears running down Henry’s cheeks and felt the debilitating impact of what he had done. Absolute horror and guilt ran through his veins and shocked him into paralysis. 

“Give little one to me,” Gregor demanded curtly, holding out his arms and waiting patiently. Numbly, Frederick obeyed and handed over Henry who immediately grasped onto Gregor and looked back at Frederick with obvious hurt and fear in his teary eyes. Once he had Henry in his grip, Gregor ordered the two to leave and work things out between them before coming back to apologize to Henry. With no resistance, the mage and the knight followed his orders and left the tent, leaving Gregor to handle the crying child. Instead of hushing, Gregor gently urged Henry to cry as much as he wanted since he probably had a lot of tears held back. He sat back down on the ground with Henry hugged to his chest as Gregor gently pat the boy’s head while he silently vomited his sadness from the very pit of his stomach. “You know,” Gregor began, “this reminds me of being with my daughters. They are probably big, scary warriors by now, but they cried just like this.

“There’s nothing wrong with being scary or being scared, little one.” The man pulled Henry back and took out his handkerchief to start wiping away the tears that kept escaping. “So what? You become a scary, powerful magic guy, but you’re like a skinny bean sprout who is scared of water. You have people here to help you and walk you through it, like the bear knight. After he saw you scared like that, he got down in the water with you and held your hand to walk through it. When you couldn’t go anymore, he let you ride the horse until we got out of the river. You got through everything, and the sun came up another day. It is okay to run away from something if it means you can come back stronger another day, little one.” 

Gregor found himself smiling as he saw that Henry had stopped crying. “You aren’t scary to me when you get old. You are tiny—well, less tiny than now and very thin. Your smile and laugh make my time in the army much better! Who cares if you think blood is cool or whatever? I can tell you that you do not care. I wish I could be as free as you are.” Gregor paused to sigh before he continued, “Little one, your life will be hard. I wish I could tell you that it will be easy, but that is a lie. I  _ can _ promise you that you will make the most of it. You are like the sunflowers my daughters love: they always face the sun, just like you, little one.” Henry’s eyes had begun to brighten at last. 

Curiously, Henry asked, “What do they do when they can’t find the sun?” Gregor chuckled, “They face each other! From now on when you can’t find the sun, little one, look for me or the bear knight or any of your other friends, and we will help you.” His gentle face took on a bit of a serious look, eyes set as he asked, “Do you still want the bear knight to be your caretaker? If you are nervous still, I could care for you. Robin could too. If there is anyone else you like, I am sure they would care for you too.” Without hesitating, Henry decided, “I want to stay with Freddy.” 

“Are you sure? You will not hurt feelings,” Gregor tentatively pushed one last time. Still, Henry nodded surely before dropping his gaze and explaining, “It was a little scary to hear him yell like that, but… no one has ever stood up for me like that… except you too, I guess… Thank you, Mr. Gregor.” The man laughed yet again, almost tossing his head back before insisting, “Call me Uncle Gregor—none of this ‘mister,’ alright little one?” 

When Henry was ready, Gregor stood and pulled back the tent flap to question, “You still bickering? No? Good. Do an apology.” The second that Frederick entered the tent, Henry went running to him and clung to one of his legs in a hug. Similarly, Frederick wasted no time in apologizing. Henry was absolutely smothered to the point that a single, strangled laugh escaped his mouth, surprising even himself; he had never laughed before. The boy was rewarded with praise and hugs from the two men while Tharja watched on with a frown and an ounce of envy. When it was Tharja’s turn, she grumbled, “I’m sorry for being so mean to you.” With great ease, Henry immediately replied, “It’s okay!” His answer only seemed to make Tharja angrier as she retorted, “No it’s not.” As Henry paused in confusion, Tharja explained, “I was really mean, and you shouldn’t be okay with it.” 

“You weren’t  _ that  _ mean,” Henry began, “I was just surprised.” 

“I know you’re a bit messed up in the head because of your sorry excuse for parents, but kids shouldn’t be yelled at like I yelled at you.” Henry felt Frederick’s grip on him tighten, but when Gregor put his hand on the knight’s shoulder, he forced himself to relax. “Just because I apologized doesn’t make it okay. You can still be mad.” 

Only more confused, Henry awkwardly protested, “But it’s really okay, and you meant it when you said you were sorry—”

“No it  _ isn’t _ , Henry. You have a right to be mad.” 

“Well… I’m not..? So… it’s okay.” 

“I give up,” she grumbled, glancing up towards Gregor in a subtle plea for help. Taking the cue, Gregor began gently, “It is a good lesson, but perhaps little one is still too little to understand.” 

Soon after, Robin and Libra arrived at the tent with his tools in tow. While arrow wounds were often the least dangerous, they were the most difficult to mend due to their extraction and the tendency of the shaft to splinter in the body, so they required extra tools for removal. Henry was a bit hesitantly handed over to Robin who eagerly showed the boy his healed risk, pointing out, “See? Good as new!” 

After sitting on the ground, Libra opened his satchel of tools and pulled out forceps to hold the wound open so that he could see the arrow head buried deeply into the flesh. Strangely, Frederick did not even wince at the pain, so Robin asked a bit worriedly, “Has the adrenaline not worn off yet?” Curtly, Frederick replied, “It did, but then it didn’t.” Just before Robin was about to ask what had happened, Libra let out a barely perceptible sigh, and everyone knew why. Still, Frederick almost grumbled, “It’s barbed, isn’t it?” The priest flatly answered, “Yes,” seemingly just as tired as the rest of them. “You are in for it,” Gregor informed with a smile in his voice in an attempt to lighten the mood. Henry agily escaped from Robin’s arms to sit beside Frederick and hug his uninjured arm close to his chest for comfort, going as far as holding as much of the giant’s hand as possible. Libra softly asked, “Do you want me to take it out fast or slow?” and quickly heard, “Just rip it out,” in reply. Robin was instructed to hold the forceps as Libra grabbed hold of the arrow but was soon distracted by Henry leaning his snowy head against Frederick’s arm for comfort. “You know, Henry,” the tactician began, “you really are the cutest kid I’ve ever—”

“Watch what you do, bird,” Gregor aptly warned as Robin blushed and looked back towards the bloody wound, saying, “Right,” as he did so. 

“Relax your arm… Ready..? Three, two—”

In one movement, Libra ripped the arrow out, grabbed his staff, and healed the wound, leaving Frederick with a horrible, overwhelming pain which lasted only a second but was enough to turn him pale. After overcoming the stinging pain, Frederick heard the priest say, “Good news, the other one isn’t barbed.” In his haze, he also heard Robin ask Henry if he wanted to try healing the other wound. The pain quickly returned as Libra began slowly pulling out the arrow and picking out the pieces of wood which had splintered off. When the wound was clean, he felt Henry release him and saw the boy tottle over to his opposite side. Two small hands pressed against his flesh and caused the pain to disappear faster than it had come. Next, he felt Henry lightly press a kiss to the healed wound before he repeated, “Good as new!” As Robin and Frederick fawned over the boy and Libra watched on with a rare smile, Gregor teased, “What? The bear knight gets a kiss, but Uncle Gregor does not?” 

Henry let out another one of his strange laughs as he skipped towards Gregor who swept him up in his arms with a spin and heard another, more  _ normal _ laugh from the boy as the albino pressed a kiss to his rough cheek. Robin looked on in surprise as the father and the boy talked, questioning what had happened to cause Henry to trust a stranger so quickly. When he looked to Frederick, all he saw was a bittersweet smile. On the other hand, Tharja looked rather angry, her eyebrows closely knit with a hateful gleam in her eyes. They had  _ definitely  _ gotten into a fight, but instead of asking what had happened, Robin suggested, “Since we’re all here, we should finish taking down Henry’s tent. With the five of us plus Henry’s help, this should be a breeze!” Still holding Henry, Gregor teased, “You are a brute of a slave driver for dragging little one into this!” 

“I am  _ not _ ,” Robin returned, “Henry likes helping, right Henry?” The boy turned to face Robin, Frederick, and Libra with a smile so bright that it caused them  _ physical pain _ as he replied in a happy voice, “Right!” 

As the group began taking down the tent, they would hand the stakes to Henry so that they wouldn’t get lost in the grass, giving him a pat on the head for each one. After taking it down completely, they began their walk to the caravan with Frederick and Gregor carrying each of the poles, Robin and Libra handling the canvases, Tharja holding any spare items, and Henry carrying the stakes. The latter drew the attention of Sully and Cherche, so they approached the group, greeting everyone before Sully asked the boy, “What’re you doing with those, Henry?” Seeing the boy shyly lean into Frederick’s leg, the knight replied, “He’s helping us, right Henry?” Still feeling rather shy yet a bit more comfortable, Henry nodded his head and softly agreed, “Yeah.” Libra added in a steady voice, “Henry is a great helper,” adding a bit more confidence to the boy’s expression. Sully gave a hearty laugh as she gently patted Henry’s shoulder, praising, “You’re such a sweet kid, Henry. Thanks for helping out.” As Sully continued talking to Henry, Cherche moved to be next to Robin and quietly murmured to him, “I am glad he’s acting more like a normal child. He was worrying me at first because of how sad he looked.” 

“Same here,” Robin agreed, “I just hope he’s happy with us.” 

“He is,” Cherche replied, “I can see it when he smiles; they’re real smiles now. Olivia told me that before he was turned young again, his smiles have been becoming more genuine as well.” The two watched as Henry gave Sully a bashful smile from all of her praise before finally caving and giving her half of the stakes to carry as well.


	3. Videre Necem in Oculo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> videre necem in oculo: to look death in the eye
> 
> thanks for reading!!
> 
> chapter 4 might be a little late tomorrow since ive decided to change some things up in it!!

An hour or so into marching to their next destination, unsaid rules and regulations as to who got to march next to Henry and for how long were set. About every ten minutes, his visitor and conversation partner would change, except for Frederick—Frederick was  _ always  _ a constant. The knight was always at Henry’s right as the boy rode the horse while Frederick walked, guiding both along the path and making Henry’s left side wide open. When it was Sumia’s turn, Henry’s eyes widened and gleamed with wonder at the creature she rode. However, even after a minute of staring, the child did not so much as lift his hand or begin to request that he be allowed to pet the wondrous creature. Realizing that Henry would never ask no matter how badly he wanted to touch its white wings, Sumia kindly asked, “Would you like to pet her?” Rather than answering, Henry looked to Frederick at his other side for permission only to find Frederick already smiling at him and saying, “You can say yes, Henry; you don’t have to get my permission for everything.” 

Excitedly, Henry looked to Sumia again for confirmation before reaching out his tiny hand to pet the pegasus’ shiny wings. After a couple minutes of petting, Sumia asked, “Would you like to go flying?” Immediately, Henry turned his yearning eyes on Frederick, silently begging the knight to let him fly. As much as Frederick knew how clumsy Sumia was, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse Henry, so he reluctantly agreed, “As long as you’re careful and don’t do any fancy flying. That means no flips, loops, dives, or spins. No flying too high either.” Evidently too excited to listen, Sumia cheered, “Hear that, Henry? You’re going flying with me!” 

Without wasting any time, Sumia lifted Henry from Frederick’s saddle to sit in front of her on her own, carefully strapping both of them into the belts designed to keep them from falling off. As Sumia explained to the boy what she was doing, Henry was too preoccupied with petting the horse to listen, but when Sumia began to pull away from the rest of the group to take off, he lifted his gaze from the pegasus to wave at Frederick and anyone else who he had caught smiling at him. Henry was grinning like a fool.

Just before taking off, Henry asked if they would be able to touch the clouds. 

Watching the two fly higher and higher, Frederick mounted his horse and called out Cordelia’s name who understood what he wanted immediately and fell in next to the knight, ready for a rescue if necessary. Together, they watched as the wind ruffled Henry’s hair, melting what was left of his cold exterior and easing the boy into a genuine smile. Like the birds he loved so much, he was gliding through the sky on a pair of wings. After seeing how happy Henry was, Sumia decided to make his smile grow despite knowing that Frederick would scold her. The Henry she knew loved making Frederick worry.

At the first sign of Sumia beginning a loop, Cordelia and Frederick took off should Henry fall. 

And fall he did. 

The belt keeping him tied to Sumia gave way, sending him tumbling through the sky like a baby bird which had fallen from its nest. He was freefalling to his death as he was cradled by the wind, turning and tumbling rapidly in the blue sky he loved so much as he let out a real laugh for the first time in his life, leaving him breathless. Frederick and Cordelia almost faltered from the familiar sound; while lacking the edge and voice of Henry’s usual cackle, it was the first true bout of laughter they had heard from the child, and it was only heard as he was plummeting to his death. 

Cordelia urged her pegasus into the sky, spurring it on faster and faster as Henry only seemed to fall faster. Sending a silent prayer to Naga, Cordelia estimated where Henry’s fall would meet her flight and reached her hand out to catch the laughing boy. When she felt his wrist connect with her hand, she closed her fist with enough force to leave a bruise as Henry’s plummet was cut short, leaving him still laughing and dangling by his wrist as Cordelia quickly descended and turned her pegasus back around to return to the army. Seeing Cordelia begin to make her way back to him, Frederick held up his arms to catch the laughing child after she carefully dropped him back into safe arms. 

In Frederick’s hands, Henry’s body was cold to the touch from flying through the brisk air and trembling from laughter rather than fear. Relieved that Henry was safe, Frederick squeezed the boy close to his chest and pressed a kiss to his crown. His laughter having been reduced to a giggle, Henry thanked Frederick for catching him to which Frederick replied, “No more flying.” Chrom seemed to second that sentiment and decided, “From now on, Henry stays with Frederick on the ground, alright everyone?” After seeing Henry’s near-death, the rest of the group took no time in agreeing to the new rule, although some were sad that Henry would not be able to ride with them. When Cordelia landed, the two of them thanked her, and the second Sumia landed, she began to apologize profusely. In reply, Henry giggled, “It’s fine! I had fun!” 

After about another hour of riding with Frederick and petting the horse’s mane, Henry turned around in the saddle to face the knight and hugged his arms around Frederick’s waist. Burying his face in Frederick’s stomach, Henry yawned, “I’m tired, Freddy.” The boy giggled as Frederick teased, “ _ You’re  _ tired? I aged  _ twenty years  _ seeing you fall like that.” 

“ _ Twenty years _ ?” Henry asked in a tired voice. “Twenty years,” Frederick easily confirmed before patting the tired boy on the back and gently urging, “Try to fall asleep if you can. We have another hour before we arrive.” Moving around a bit more to get settled, Henry got comfortable and tiredly mumbled, “You’re silly, Freddy,” before drifting to sleep. 

  
  


When they arrived at their destination, Henry was still deep in sleep, so Frederick took great care in dismounting so as not to wake him. While the others went about setting up camp before nightfall, Frederick disappointedly realized that he would have to wake Henry to set up his tent anyways; however, two saviors appeared before him in the form of Kellam and Stahl who had wanted to check on Henry. Smiles appeared on their faces when they saw that Henry was still asleep, his chin resting on Frederick’s shoulder and his arms loosely wrapped around the knight’s neck. In almost a whisper, Kellam asked, “He’s still sleeping with all this noise?” Frederick softly replied, “He must be tired from all the action today. He was awake the second the sun came up this morning.” 

“I’ll say,” Stahl agreed, “He’s clocked out.” Enamoured by the sleeping boy, the two newcomers looked on in silence before Kellam realized, “He’s so small…” 

“Awfully cute, too,” Stahl added as he carefully reached out for one of Henry’s tiny hands. Still not stirring, Henry reflexively tightened his grip on one of Stahl’s fingers and let out a relaxed sigh, causing Stahl’s heart to practically implode. Watching the scene, the other two knights couldn’t hold back a smile. Stahl gently set Henry’s hand back down once he was released only to watch as the boy turned his face into Frederick’s neck and readjusted his hold on the knight. Kellam softly told Frederick, “He really likes you,” to which Stahl added, “He sure does, and for good reason too.” After watching the boy for a few moments longer, Stahl offered, “Would you like for Kellam and I to put up your tent so he can lay down for some rest?” Glancing up at the two men, Frederick asked, “Are you sure you do not mind?” to which Kellam answered, “We don’t mind at all. You and Henry need to rest.” 

After a few minutes, the tent had been set up, so Frederick went inside and sat down on the side of his cot. As carefully as he could, he moved Henry’s arms from around his neck so that he could lay the boy down without waking him. Frederick sighed in relief when Henry didn’t stir then pulled a blanket over him. After standing up to leave, Frederick gazed down at the boy for a moment longer before opening the tent flap to leave when he heard a tiny voice mumble, “Freddy..?” He turned back around and saw Henry groggily rubbing one of his eyes and gazing up at him with the other. 

Heading back to the boy, Frederick gently guided him back to bed and brushed his white bangs out of his face as he murmured, “I just have to talk to Chrom and Robin for a bit. It shouldn’t take long, so go back to sleep and get some more rest, okay?” 

“You need to sleep too, Freddy,” Henry mumbled tiredly. “When I come back, we’ll get something for dinner and then we’ll both go to sleep. How does that sound?” Frederick suggested with a smile. Henry thought it over for a few seconds before approving Frederick’s plan with a nod and a yawn. The boy fell back asleep before Frederick could even walk away. 

  
  


Henry woke up some time later, feeling well rested and… alone. Feeling panic swell up around his heart, Henry searched the tent and found no sign of Frederick, or anyone else for that matter. Dejected, Henry rose from the bed and felt his stomach growl, reminding him that it was almost time for dinner. A bit apprehensively, Henry set out to find something to eat. 

After a couple minutes of searching, Henry stumbled upon a barrel of red apples and glanced around him before approaching the fruit. Looking around and finding no one yet again, Henry turned back to the barrel and began to reach into it, straining his arm until he could feel his shoulder ache. No matter how hard he tried, Henry could only ever graze one of the apples with his fingertips, unable to grasp it. Just when he was about to give up in search of something easier to reach, a shadow cast over him and shocked him into turning around and pressing his back against the barrel for protection as he gazed up at his captor: an orange-haired thief with an apparent sweet tooth. Henry flinched when the bandit reached out for the boy but opened his eyes in surprise when he wasn’t hit but given a gentle pat on the head. 

Henry’s head was whirling; he had been caught  _ stealing _ , yet he wasn’t being punished for it? Even worse, Gaius reached into the barrel and offered Henry an apple. Henry stared at the apple in shock and refused to take it in fear that it was a trap to get him in trouble. Gaius gave him a confused look and asked, “What? You didn’t do anything wrong; they’re here for us to eat.” Offering the apple again, Gaius urged, “Go on, Junior.” Henry slowly reached out for the fruit, glancing up at Gaius for confirmation one last time before taking the apple at last. After hearing Henry mumble a thank you, Gaius seemed to have an idea and began digging through his satchel as he began, “Hold on, don’t tell Freddy Bear about this, but…” 

With a quiet, “ta-da,” Gaius presented Henry with a piece of candy and explained, “It’s butterscotch. Butterscotch was my favorite when I was around your age, and I figured that since you like Freddy Bear so much, you’d like this.” Only then did Henry realize that the candy was shaped like a little teddy bear. Henry immediately loved it. 

“Speaking of Freddy Bear,” Gaius began, “he must be worried sick about you. Eat your candy, and we’ll go and find him, okay Junior?” With a nod and a smile, Henry agreed, so he took the candy, carefully unwrapped it, and popped it in his mouth. After taking Gaius’ hand, the two began walking around the camp to look for Frederick. On the way, Gaius took Henry’s apple and cut off slices of it with one of his daggers which he reserved specifically for sweets so that it was easier for the boy to eat. 

Eventually, the two arrived at the war tent where they heard three voices thoughtfully discussing tactics. Before pushing aside the tent flap, Gaius announced, “Knock knock,” and entered the tent while still holding Henry’s hand. “Sorry to interrupt your meeting, Bubbles, but I saw our little Junior looking lonely and decided to find Freddy Bear.” When Henry revealed himself from behind Gaius, Chrom, Frederick, and Robin greeted him with smiles and barely held back a few “aww’s” when Henry almost ran to hug Frederick. 

Still half watching the scene, Robin turned to Gaius and asked, “Did you give him any candy?” Since the thief expected them to chastise him for spoiling Henry’s dinner, he initially lied and claimed, “Maybe I didn’t. Maybe I gave him a butterscotch candy in the shape of a teddy bear, but then again, maybe I didn’t give him anything at all.” Contrary to what Gaius expected, Frederick praised, “I must thank you then. Henry deserves to be spoiled, at least every now and then. Isn’t that right, Henry?” 

The boy easily felt his face burning and knew immediately that the others could see, so he went back to hugging Frederick, burying his face in the knight’s chest so that the others wouldn’t be able to see the pink flush spreading across his face all the way to his ears. 

Henry had heard something he had never even dreamed of. No one had ever told him that he deserved good things before; his parents had told him quite the opposite-- _ given  _ him quite the opposite. However, the Shepherds had only ever made him smile, and when something went wrong, they genuinely apologized. Henry really didn’t want to go back to his parents. He never wanted the curse to end.

As everyone’s attention was on Henry, Gaius noticed that the trio still hadn’t washed up since their last battle. Frederick’s arm was still covered in his own blood, Robin still had blood in his hair, and Chrom still had blood spattered across his face and arms. “Gods,” Gaius began, “you all still have blood on you? Maybe I should take Junior back so he doesn’t get nightmares about your scary mugs.” Confused, Henry finally exposed his face and mumbled, “It’s just blood. I won’t have nightmares.” The group shared a laugh as Gaius sighed, “I forgot he’s still the Junior we know and love. Well, whatever. I can still watch him when you all are done talking.” With a smile, Chrom replied that Gaius should rest after working hard in battle, so the thief decided that a nap did sound rather nice and took his leave. 

While the group discussed more tactics, Henry took to playing with Frederick’s left hand as he sat in the knight’s lap. He ran his little fingers over every callus and analyzed each scar. Some looked jagged and painful; others were smooth and shallow. The back of his hand was soft as if he had never worked a day in his life despite the scars while the palm was a whole other story. The flesh of his palm was hardened from labor and old blisters. The gold ring on Frederick’s finger caught the boy’s attention next. It was shiny and well cared for, and when he pulled the ring off, the skin underneath was pale as if Frederick had worn the ring everyday for a significant length of time. The boy reasoned that his older self and Frederick must have loved each other for a long time.

Henry almost giggled when he tried the ring on for himself; it was  _ giant _ on him. The ring wasn’t even close to fitting on his thumb, so he carefully put it back on Frederick’s finger where it would be safe. He felt like bats were flapping around in his stomach at the reminder that he would grow up to become someone who was loved so dearly. A question then came to mind: what did Frederick love about him? 

When the three were finished planning their next battle, Frederick and Chrom left Henry with Robin so that they could clean themselves up and change clothes. Since Henry hadn’t been paying the least bit of attention during the planning, he listened to Robin as he explained their strategy to take over a nearby fortress. The boy seemed to enjoy the maps and reasoning behind every action, but when Robin asked if he had any questions, Henry replied with something completely unrelated. 

As if he was asking what the weather was like, he asked, “Why does Freddy love me?” Robin hadn’t seen it coming at all and faltered in the conversation. “Well,” he began to explain, “you’re Henry. You grow up to become the person he wants to spend his life with, so while his love for you is different now, like a father and son, it makes sense that he would still love you.” Judging by the blank look on the boy’s face, Robin’s explanation wasn’t quite what he was looking for. 

“But why does he love me when I’m older?” Henry asked. Robin paused again to think of an answer before replying, “I’m not exactly sure. Only Frederick knows why he loves you.” 

“Do you love someone?” 

Robin felt a blush beginning to burn across his face; children always ask such pointed questions. After hesitating, Robin admitted, “I do.” 

“How do you know you love them?” 

Realizing that Henry wouldn’t drop the subject, Robin sighed and guided the boy to sit down beside him. “How do I know I love him?” Robin repeated as he thought about his answer. “I suppose I know I love him because whenever I see him, I get extremely happy and even a little nervous. What really is the nail in the coffin is that when he laughs or smiles at me, my heart hurts,” the tactician explained. “That sounds scary,” Henry mumbled as he cast his gaze down to his hands where he was fiddling with the hem of his shirt. 

“It’s a good hurt; it makes life worth living,” Robin explained before he alluded, “I bet there’s something about you that makes Frederick’s heart hurt too. Maybe you should ask him. I know there are things about Frederick that make your heart hurt; we talk about him all the time when you’re older.” Henry lifted his curious gaze to ask, “What are they?” With a smile and a tap to Henry’s nose, Robin answered, “It started with him being very gentle and genuine with you. I remember you asking me if Frederick was capable of cursing people because wherever he touched you, you felt a tingling burn for hours afterwards. When I told you that he wasn’t, you kept asking me if I was sure because you always felt strange around him, like something was squeezing around your heart when he talked to you or smiled at you. We had a conversation not unlike this one, and you realized then that you had fallen in love with him. You loved how kind he was and how he genuinely worried for your safety every single day. You loved how relentless he was in training and how he never gave up on anyone or anything. You especially loved it when he smiled at you, since he doesn’t smile all that often. Even just a little grin or a ‘good morning’ towards you would send your heart racing. Trust me, you love him very much when you’re older, just as he loves you.”

Henry gazed back down at his hands, softly humming and mumbling, “Adults are weird…” 

“We know,” Robin teased as he ruffled the boy’s hair. 

Not long after, Chrom and Frederick returned and caused Henry to run up to the knight, hold his arms out to him, and make a few grabbing motions to silently ask Frederick to pick him up to which the knight quickly gave in. As Henry was being picked up, Chrom laughed, “You must hate walking, Henry! It seems like every time I see you, you’re being carried!” Snuggling up to Frederick, Henry replied, “I like being carried by Freddy. He’s tall and nice.” Henry couldn’t remember a single time in his life when he was carried before meeting Frederick. It made him feel safe and like something worth protecting. While they were on the subject, Robin asked, “Have you not been wearing your armor so you can carry Henry? Today has been the first day I’ve ever seen you without your armor on.” Having been caught, Frederick blushed lightly and confessed, “I didn’t want the metal to pinch his skin.” As Robin and Chrom teasingly chastised Frederick for worrying too much, Henry realized that his time with the Shepherds was limited. He only had a few more days with the people he had come to trust before he would be forced to go back to his own time. Frederick wouldn’t be there to hold him. Robin wouldn’t be there to play around with him. Chrom wouldn’t be there to promise him comfort and safety. Lissa wouldn’t be there to heal his scrapes. Tharja wouldn’t be there to tell him things no one else would. Gregor wouldn’t be there to tell him stories. Gaius wouldn’t be there to make sure he wasn’t going hungry. 

Before being ripped from his own time, Henry didn’t know what kindness felt like. He only knew bitter hatred in the form of being beat within an inch of his life, cold disinterest in the way his mother ignored his cries for mercy, and paralyzing resignation when he learned there was no escape and cast his voice and hopes for refuge deep into the forgotten depths of his mind. 

Henry knew he had to go back eventually, and when he did, his life would only be more painful--unbearable even. The Shepherds had given him kindness, happiness, and love which would only leave a wider abscess in his tattered heart when they would inevitably be ripped away. 

Squeezing Frederick tighter, Henry resolved that all he could do was enjoy being with them for what little time he had left. 

As the group waited for Robin to clean himself up as well, Henry couldn’t stop thinking about what Robin had told him about hurting hearts. After Robin returned, the group went to eat dinner, and for the second time, Henry garnered a group of spectators who commented on the boy’s mannerisms and how different they were to those of the Henry they knew. Henry knew how Tharja saw his older self, but he wondered what the others saw, what  _ Frederick _ saw. 

As the two were walking off their dinner in a stroll around camp, Henry finally gathered the courage to ask. The boy looked up at Frederick and squeezed his hand to get his attention as they walked, gaining a bit more courage when the knight looked down at him with a smile. In a timid voice, Henry asked, “What am I like when I’m older?” A bit surprised at the question, Frederick replied, “You grow up to be quite a different person than who you are now. You have an enormous reputation as one of the deadliest and most powerful mages in the world; we had first heard of you from Tharja, so when we first saw you on the battlefield, we were… quite concerned about how it would pan out. Instead of fighting against us, you joined us because you believed that Plegia would defeat Ylisse too easily since we were lacking in sheer numbers to fight Plegia.”

Frederick laughed with a wry smile as he recalled, “We thought that you were a spy for quite some time since it was so strange that you would simply switch sides like that, but eventually, we learned that you were just lonely. You had friends in the Plegian army of course, but should Plegia have continued on its course to win, the war would have ended far too soon for you. You believed that your sole purpose in life was to be in war due to your power, so with the war drawing to a close, you realized that you were about to lose your purpose and direction in life. After some time with us, you came to realize that you had many other reasons to keep living. You could be a teacher and train cadets; you could become a knight; you could get married and raise children; the possibilities are endless for someone like you.”

Frederick paused to pick up Henry when they spotted mud puddles ahead on the path. There were fresh tracks in the mud, which Frederick found a little strange since he had thought he was the one of the first people to stray from camp. Rather than investigate further since he had to consider Henry’s safety as well, he turned back towards camp. 

When he noticed that Henry had begun to pick up on his concern, Frederick decided to continue in his explanation on a happier note and began, “You’re always smiling and laughing about something. You never fail to cheer others up with a joke or a helping hand. Your bravery and strength encourages others and myself to keep fighting and training to become stronger. You are very obedient and follow orders as well as what your heart wishes. As your reputation claims, you are extremely clever and create your own spells and curses which are practically unbreakable to any except yourself. Just as easily, you make yourself and your intentions clear and wear your heart on your sleeve.” Finally, Frederick concluded, “You are someone whom I am proud to love.”

Henry hummed in thought, thinking of how different he was in Frederick’s mind from Tharja’s. Looking back at Frederick, Henry asked innocently, “What’s your favorite thing about the older me?” 

“My favorite thing, huh,” Frederick mused, “There are lots of things, but if I had to pick one… it’d be your smile—your real smile. You smile a lot when you’re older, but when you  _ really  _ mean it, it reaches your eyes and makes my heart ache.” Henry let out a ghost of a giggle at Frederick’s last statement and added, “That’s what Robin said—the part about your heart hurting. You adults are  _ weird. _ ” 

Between Henry’s words, Frederick could hear something following them from deep in the nearby woods. He could hear rustling leaves, snapping twigs, and heavy breathing which hinted at their pursuer being something  _ almost  _ human. Not wanting to alarm Henry, Frederick only increased his pace slightly and did not speak of the threat to the boy. 

Once they finally returned to camp, Frederick laid Henry down in bed and went to his desk to draft letters until the boy pulled him along to bed as well. Hesitantly, Frederick fell into a fitful rest. After what seemed like hours of drifting in and out of sleep, Frederick finally heard something. First, he heard boots stepping recklessly in the grass a few yards away from their tent, coming from the woods which flanked their camp. His heart stopping, Frederick realized that they were getting closer. The knight stood and was unsheathing his sword from its place beside his bed when he felt a tiny hand tug at the hem of his shirt. Turning back, he found Henry rubbing one of his eyes while the other black eye stared up at him, bleary and confused. Frederick gently urged Henry back to bed and pulled the woolen blanket up to the boy’s chin. Softly shushing him, Frederick told the boy to stay hidden and quiet no matter what. Suddenly, the footsteps had reached the back of the tent, so Frederick quietly dashed to stand at the entrance, laying in wait for the intruder as the footsteps made their way down the side of the tent. 

As the footsteps grew ever closer and paused at the entrance of the tent, Frederick could hear raspy breathing before the sound silenced and was replaced with sniffing. A gloved hand reached out to grab the flap of the tent, pulling it open slightly as the smell of rotten flesh wafted in and causing Frederick to realize that the intruder was the Risen he had heard in the forest. It had tracked them down like a bloodhound, following their scent all the way to their tent. As the beast creeped into the tent, all was silent save for the sound of far off crickets and the soft breathing of the creature. The Risen unknowingly continued forward, past Frederick and instead staring at the bundle under the blanket. 

Holding his breath, Frederick began his ambush and drove his sword through the beast’s back, skewering it on his blade as it let out a surprised yell. Pushing the hilt of the blade flush against the creature’s back, Frederick grabbed the end of the sword which had stabbed through its body and struggled to drag the beast out of the tent as it fought against him tooth and nail. The knight spun around to put himself between the Risen and Henry before shoving the monster off of his blade to land face down on the ground, quickly standing over it and driving the point of his sword through the vertebrae of its neck. 

The struggle ended as quickly as it had come on with Frederick standing over the second-time-dead body as its flailing weakened to sporadic twitching. Libra emerged from the next tent over after being woken by the Risen’s short yell and asked Frederick if everyone was alright. “We’re fine,” Frederick replied. “It was just a lone Risen.” 

“Where’s Henry?” Libra quickly questioned.

“I told him to stay…” 

Frederick paused when he turned back to the tent and found the boy staring at the body with an unidentifiable expression, holding his blanket against his chest as if it could protect him from all the horrors of the world. .

“… in bed.” 

Libra followed Frederick’s gaze and found the little boy as his gaze settled on the sword still embedded in the creature’s neck. Tearing himself away from the child, Libra gently urged, “Go be with Henry. I will take care of the body.” Frederick nodded silently and turned to approach Henry who finally shifted his focus from the corpse to stare at the knight. Frederick carefully lifted the boy into his arms and carried him back to bed. Instead of simply putting him back to sleep, Frederick sat on the side of the cot with the boy in his lap, hugging his tiny body in silence. After a few moments, Frederick almost whispered, “I am truly sorry that you saw me do that, Henry. I hadn’t wanted you to.” When Henry remained silent, Frederick asked, “Would you like to talk about it?” 

“I’ve never seen something die before,” Henry admitted softly after a brief pause. “It’s… weird…” The body had been moving mere moments before Frederick caused it to be still. Even before that, the Risen was a living person. He had a family who had buried him, expecting him to never come back, and yet he had. And Frederick had killed him a second time. It wasn’t cruel; in fact, Frederick had given him an almost painless death. Henry even knew that Frederick had no other choice, but the bitter taste in Henry’s mouth persisted nonetheless. 

For a moment so brief that it was barely a flicker of thought, Henry questioned in his mind if… if he were to kill his parents, would it be the same situation? Could he rationalize it by saying he had no other choice? 

From outside the tent, the two heard the sound of a sword slicing through the air before going  _ thwack _ as it chopped through flesh, causing Henry to flinch. Henry knew in his gut that Libra was cutting off the Risen’s head. It had a chance of coming back to life if he didn’t take off the head. 

Still, Henry felt sick to his stomach. It was frightening. Henry felt Frederick’s hands press against his ears to prevent the boy from hearing the rest of the carnage as Libra dutifully sawed away at the jugular with the blade of the sword. When Libra dragged the body away to be given a burial, Frederick finally uncovered Henry’s ears and returned to running his fingers through the boy’s hair, hoping that he would fall asleep and forget seeing something die despite knowing how unlikely his wish was. 

When laying his head on Frederick’s chest, Henry could hear his strong heartbeat thumping away. The boy then recalled when Frederick had returned from battle, covered in a mess of blood belonging to both himself and enemies. He remembered thinking that Frederick could have been killed, and seeing how easily the knight had caused the end of the Risen’s life, Henry was struck with the realization of how fragile life truly was. Frederick’s life could be taken just as easily. A slice to the neck, a bash to the head, a stab to the heart and suddenly, life would cease to exist. All of the Shepherds could slip from his fingers in a split second. 

It was earth shattering to Henry. 

The story Tharja told him of his future surfaced in his memory; the wolf who he saw as a mother was killed before his very eyes, just as simply as the Risen’s death, and caused him to snap and kill everyone in the surrounding area. Henry was terrified of what he could do if Frederick should meet the same fate. 

With a slight tremor in his voice, Henry asked, “You’re not going to die like that, right Freddy..?” 

Frederick paused in his movements at the question. His instinct was to assure Henry that he would not die, but it was his explicit  _ duty  _ to die before Chrom or Lissa. He knew any battle could be his last; it had been drilled into his mind as a young boy that his fate was that of a knight, and even the grandest knights can meet the wrong end of a blade and never return home. 

Still, he couldn’t tell a child that painful truth, so he lied, “Of course I’m not. Not for a long, long time.”

“How do you know?” 

Frederick found the answer to Henry’s second question easily, replying before he even realized it himself. 

“I have you. We protect each other, always.” 

Henry lifted his head to stare up at Frederick with another untouchable emotion all over his face. His eyes were teary, but he didn’t appear sad. Rather, he appeared thankful and surprised. 

After a few more minutes of sitting awake together, the two turned in for the night for a second time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can risen smell? the world may never know


	4. Inveniens Familiam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inveniens familiam: finding a family
> 
> SORRY THIS IS LATE!!!! i ended up scrapping almost the entire chapter because it was too,, cheesy. 
> 
> Anyways!!! a sweetheart made fanart for me!!!!! its so cute??? ive never been more excited in my life?? her twitter is @__alayyae and her tumblr is alayyae so please drop by and give her some support!! she is very nice and her art is so pretty!!! i stan!!!
> 
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/__alayyae/status/1267135200028286977?s=20  
> Tumblr: alayyae.tumblr.com

Across the next few days, Henry became increasingly clingy. He always wanted Frederick to carry him, even if he wasn’t tired. The touch-starved boy was determined to receive head pats, hugs, and attention despite remaining rather shy. His giggle became more natural after becoming accustomed to the sensation, and after four more days had passed, he acted like a normal child.

Well,  _ almost  _ like a normal child. 

He was still his strange self. He spent mornings feeding the crows with Frederick and every other waking hour doing anything from listening to stories being read to him to adventuring nearby towns with the soldiers. 

Where he really strayed from normal behavior was when the Shepherds did something nice for him, be it taking him into town, giving him treats, or simple praise. Each time, he looked as if he could cry. It was all so alien to him, yet he never wanted the sensation to die. On the last day of the curse, it finally overwhelmed him. 

Henry and Frederick woke up to feed the crows, as they usually did. The autumn air was brisk but refreshing as Frederick knelt on the ground with Henry glued to his side. The crows acted almost like dogs, rolling in the dirt and brushing up against Henry in an attempt to cheer him up; they could sense that something wasn’t quite right with the boy that day. One of the crows hopped onto Henry’s hand and made a gurgling noise at the boy, cocking his head to the side in a questioning gesture. In response, Henry cooed back and pet the bird on the head until another squawked for Frederick’s attention. Giggling, Henry translated, “He wants you to bring an apple next time. He says he saw me eating one and wants to try it.” 

“Anything for your spoiled birds,” Frederick replied jokingly. After a brief translation to the bird, it ruffled its feathers and squawked back at Frederick, earning another giggle from Henry before he told Frederick, “He says  _ you’re _ the spoiled one since you get to see me all the time!” Despite the bird’s apparent attitude, it still ate the oats Frederick offered from his palms. 

“How long have you been able to understand birds, Henry?” 

Henry answered easily, “For as long as I can remember,” as if nostalgic over a fond dream. “Father heard me talking to them once and said I was crazy, but I knew I wasn’t. They’d bring me things I’d ask for and tell me things I couldn’t know on my own, so I knew I wasn’t crazy… They cheer me up when I’m sad, like friends, but now I have you guys!” Henry’s smile dropped at the realization that he wouldn’t be with the Shepherds for much longer. He would have to let them go and return to his dreary life by the end of the day.

He didn’t want to go. 

Frederick set his hand on the boy’s shoulder and asked with a gentle smile, “Do you know what today is?” Curiously, Henry looked up at the knight and shook his head. 

“It’s the thirteenth of November.” 

The only reaction Frederick received was a blank stare; he had no idea what it meant. Frederick figured that it only made sense; Henry’s parents were made of pure shit, so why would that day matter to them? 

“It’s your birthday, Henry,” Frederick explained, trying hard to remain happy for the boy’s sake. The surprise was evident on his face, his eyes widening as he paused before asking, “Really? It’s my birthday today?” Seeing Frederick nod in confirmation caused Henry to feel something welling up inside him in a mixture of joy, relief, and sorrow. Henry leaned his weight against Frederick with a content smile and mumbled, “I’ll get to spend my birthday with you guys then. I’m… happy.” 

With every birthday wish he received from the other Shepherds, Henry only felt more torn. The pain he felt increased with every smile and pat they gave him as Henry wished more and more that he could stay with them forever. They cared about Henry just as he cared about them, and Henry didn’t want to leave them. 

When it was almost time for lunch, Henry realized that the camp was dead. He and Frederick were the only ones outside. Tugging on Frederick’s hand, Henry looked up and asked, “Where is everybody?” 

“Good question,” Frederick replied as he pulled out his pocket watch. “Perhaps they went to eat lunch. Would you like to join them?” When Henry hummed in agreement, the two began to head to the mess tent. On the way, Henry noticed that a bonfire was lit with plenty of logs surrounding it to serve as seats. He hoped that he would be able to sit with all the Shepherds by the fire before he would be out of time. In his short week with them, he had come to see the Shepherds as family, and just as he realized that they were so dearly irreplaceable to him, he was being dragged back and damned to a living hell with his parents. 

Stopping just outside the mess tent, Frederick checked his pocket watch once again and noted quietly to himself, “Right on time.” With the eerie silence surrounding them, Henry felt it inappropriate to speak and held himself back from asking _ Right on time for what? _ Frederick pulled aside the flap of the tent, waiting for Henry to step inside. Immediately, Henry was startled by all of the Shepherds shouting at once.

_ “Happy birthday, Henry!” _

The boy froze as his glassy eyes took in the scene before him. The soldiers were all gazing at him with warm smiles on their faces, watching as the boy stared back at them one-by-one in shock. On a table in the middle of the group sat a cake with six candles, surrounded by colorfully wrapped presents. Henry had never celebrated his birthday before.

All at once, his dread and sorrow overwhelmed him. As tears welled up in Henry’s eyes, the Shepherds lost their smiles which were quickly replaced with concern and guilt. A single tear gnarled its way down Henry’s cheek before the flood began and quickly wetted the boy’s face before he could even realize he was crying. As he fought against the storm of tears, trying to rub them away with his sleeve, he noticed Frederick kneel down beside him and begin patting his lithe back. Overtaken by silent sobs, Henry hardly noticed as the other Shepherds hesitantly began to approach him. 

“What’s wrong, Henry?” Lissa gently questioned. 

“We’re sorry, Henry; we didn’t mean to scare you,” Olivia mumbled apologetically. 

Henry shook his head, explaining between sniffles that they hadn’t scared him. After Frederick picked him up, Henry latched his arms around Frederick’s neck in a hug and confessed, “You guys are so nice that I don’t want to go…  _ I don’t want to go back..! _ ” The Shepherds felt their hearts break. Libra reached out for Henry’s tiny hand and gently explained, “Henry, you aren’t going to leave us. With your curse, you’ll simply change back to normal, like waking up from a dream. It’s not as if you switched places with your older self; you’re going to stay with us.” 

Henry lifted his head from Frederick’s shoulder and asked in disbelief, “Really..?” With Lissa’s confirmation, Frederick assured, “You’ll never have to go back there again, Henry. You’re safe with us.” Henry felt a weight lifting off of his shoulders; he had no reason to worry after all. He wouldn’t have to leave his new family. Still, one thing was bothering him. 

“Will I forget all of this when I turn back to normal?” 

Henry watched as Libra and Lissa shared a worried glance; there was a chance he could forget everything. However, Frederick lovingly patted Henry’s head and claimed, “I’m sure you won’t forget. If you’re crying like this, then you clearly hold your time with us very close to your heart, and nothing can take that away. You’ll remember.” With Frederick’s assurance, Henry found that he could finally smile again, causing the Shepherds to sigh in relief. 

“So,” Gaius began, “now that Junior’s happy again, can we get to the whole cake thing?” With tear tracks still on his face, Henry laughed, “I’ve never had cake before!” 

“All the more reason to get to it,” Gaius added as the group began to walk back to the table with the cake and presents. 

Once Henry had dried his tears, Ricken lit the candles on the cake with a fire spell, and the Shepherds began to sing happy birthday to the boy. When they finished the song, Robin happily explained to Henry that he was supposed to make a wish and blow out the candles, so Henry paused for a moment to think of a wish before blowing out each of the candles with one breath. Surrounded by the sound of cheering, Henry realized that he had never been so happy in his life. 

After eating the cake together, the Shepherds began to pass around the presents for Henry to open. Many of the gifts were old tomes which Henry handled with careful reverence, enamoured by them even as a child. Other gifts were pieces of clothing or jewelry. When it was time for Henry to open his gift from Robin, the tactician explained, “Since you and I both know that you have too many books as is, I decided to get a gift for you to share with everyone.” Curiosity taking over, Henry tore away the paper and saw dozens of marshmallows, graham crackers, and marshmallows. Immediately, Lissa cheered that they would be making s’mores and earned a confused look from the boy. 

The Shepherds led Henry back outside to the bonfire and explained to him how to make a s’more. Closely watching how Lissa and Gaius roasted their marshmallows on a stick, Henry began to laugh as the two argued over how to best prepare the main course. Gaius choked on air when Lissa informed Henry that the marshmallow tasted best a little charred, causing the thief to counter, “Golden is the only way, princess.” The debate began between them immediately as Lissa began to appeal to the average person’s taste as Gaius talked circles around her with fancy sounding words he made up on the spot. 

As Henry sat in Frederick’s lap to roast his own marshmallow, he listened to the bickering, laughing, and cheering surrounding him. When Henry was done roasting his marshmallow, Frederick helped him sandwich it between the chocolate and graham crackers. After watching Henry take his first bite, Robin asked, “Do you like it?” The boy nodded eagerly in reply before taking another bite. Beside him, Gaius screamed when his marshmallow burst into flames and caused the people around them to choke on laughter. 

While laughing along with them, Henry realized that his face hurt from smiling so much. He began to realize that what Robin had said about hurting hearts, how it was what people lived for. Frederick’s body warmth, the heat from the fire warmed Henry to his core as he finally felt at peace. He had found his home with the Shepherds, and he would get to experience innumerable more days with them. His face hurt in a different way than when he was slapped or hit; it was a gentle, wholesome pain that told him he was really alive

Despite being taught by his parents that no one would ever love him, that it was impossible to feel anything but hatred for such a wretched child, Henry knew beyond all doubt that his parents were wrong about him. He was worth enough to be loved without question. He was strong enough to survive indefinite pain. He had friends to help him throughout life. He had never before felt so loved, and he knew that his home laid with the Shepherds.

As Henry took another bite of his s’more, a crumb tumbled away, getting chocolate and marshmallow on his shirt and pants, so after Henry had finished eating, Frederick took the boy back to his tent to change. While Henry took off his old clothes, Frederick turned away to pick out a new outfit before hearing the boy make a confused noise. Turning back, Frederick found himself face to face with a surprised looking adult. Having never seen Henry look so shocked, all Frederick found he was able to do was laugh as he noted humorously, “Well  _ that _ was convenient timing.” 

“Sure was,” Henry agreed before beginning to laugh himself. He felt relief flooding him as he realized that he remembered every day he had spent under the curse. Frederick, Libra, and Lissa had been right about the curse after all; he had never left the Shepherds, and he still had every memory of those he had come to see as family. 

Rather than handing Henry the clothes he had picked out, Frederick switched them out for Henry’s usual clothes and told him to get dressed as he continued to laugh softly to himself. When the mage had gotten dressed, Frederick asked him, “Would you like your present from me now? I’ve been waiting so long to give it to you.” Excited at the prospect of one last surprise, Henry nodded eagerly and watched as Frederick reached into his pocket. 

Henry’s excited expression was replaced by shock once more as Frederick took out a small velvet box from his pocket, his face morphing to express his tender realization as the knight kneeled before him. Frederick opened the box to expose a gold ring and gently began, “My heart is yours, Henry. I vow to defend you as knight and husband until death should part us, if you will allow me.” Henry thought back to one of the first conversations he had with Frederick after being cursed. He recalled Frederick saying,  _ “You want me to wait until I know for absolutely certain that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” _

_ In a quiet voice, Henry had slowly asked, “And are you?” _

_ Frederick showed a genuine smile, confessing, “I am. I am just waiting for the right time.” _

Henry felt his heart ache as he realized that Frederick had proven that he was sure, that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Henry. Without waiting a single second, Henry smothered Frederick in an embrace, insisting, “Of  _ course  _ I’ll ‘allow’ you, Freddy! I’d rather die than say no!” 

Laughing like a pair of lovestruck teens, they both watched as Frederick slipped the golden band on Henry’s ring finger before sharing a kiss. The pair sat leaning into each other, taking in the thought that they would be married once they returned home from the war. Letting out a fulfilled sigh, Henry relished the fact that he would never have to leave Frederick’s side even when the war ended. With an excited gasp, Henry realized, “My wish! It came true!” 

“Really? What did you wish for?” Frederick asked with an interested smile. 

“I wished that I’d get to stay with you forever! Now, we have to go tell Robin and Chrom and—and  _ everyone!” _ Henry stood, grabbed Frederick by the hand, and pulled him up before tugging the knight out of the tent and back to the bonfire. The rest of the Shepherds immediately noticed that Henry was free from his curse and slowly gathered in a semicircle around him. Their hesitant approach was due to them remembering how Henry had cried about not wanting the curse to end. At first, their expressions held concern as Stahl asked, “You still have all of your memories, right?” Nodding happily, Henry answered, “I haven’t forgotten a thing!” The tension in the group remained as Sully asked, “And you’re… okay..?” Henry could practically see the tension leave the Shepherds when he answered, “I’ve never been better!” A few of the soldiers sighed in relief at the reply before Henry remembered why he was so excited.

“Anyways,” the mage began, “look at what Freddy gave me! Pretty as ink, don’t you think?” When Henry stuck out his left hand for everyone to see, the group noticeably leaned in to peer at the new ring on Henry’s finger. Chrom was the first to realize what had happened and teased, “So you finally did it, Frederick.” Robin was next to realize and cheered, “Congratulations, you two!” 

The rest of the group paused as one by one, they began to understand and congratulate the couple. Gregor stepped forward from the crowd in all the chaos and hugged Henry as he joked, “You grow up too fast, little one! It feels like only yesterday when you could barely reach my knee.” Releasing Henry, Gregor continued, “If the bear knight causes trouble then you will tell me, and he will not cause trouble anymore, okay?” Henry let loose his signature cackle as he replied, “Okie dokie, uncle, but I doubt he’ll cause any more trouble.” 

The couple heard Vaike shout out his praise before Henry felt the blond put all of his strength into slapping him on his back, knocking Henry forward with the force. Unlike last time, Henry didn’t flinch and instead burst out in laughter as the rest of the Shepherds scolded Vaike yet again. 

Henry felt lightheaded from laughing so much, yet he found that not a single laugh was forced. As he felt Frederick intertwine their fingers, Henry doubted that he would ever force another laugh again.

  
  
Henry was always happy. It wasn’t normal, but it was  _ his _ normal to always be smiling, always laughing. He had a reason to do so: Henry had found a new family, a family who loved him regardless of his past and had reinvented how he saw himself and the world around him.

(here is alayyae's ArtTM)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for sticking with me this far lmao
> 
> this was very fun to write!! and i made a friend while doing it? life works in mysterious ways lmao


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